Title: Survival

Drama/Romance – Chlex

Disclaimer: If Michael Rosenbaum OR Lex Luthor was mine don't you think I'd be having wild, kinky, sweaty, sex instead of WRITING?

The explosion threw her body onto the porch with such a force that it almost knocked her small frame unconscious. She frantically turned back to scream for her father but to no avail. The entire home was ablaze in only seconds. Her survival instinct kicked in and she knew she had to run. The thought that she couldn't get to her father was pushed deep down inside her gut by the base instinct to save herself. Chloe stood up ignoring the pain in her leg and limped as quickly as she could into the woods, making sure she was well out of sight before she collapsed to the ground.

I will not cry. Not here not now. I cannot break down like this; if I do he will win. Lionel cannot win.

Chloe took a small moment to catch her breath then began making her way through the woods to the highway on the other side. As she limped through the trees Chloe took a small cell phone out of her back pocket. A phone she had prayed she would never have to use. One that she would only ever make a single phone call from. She pressed one on the speed dial and waited for a voice to answer.

"Rawden here," a gruff voice answered.

"Zero consequences," Chloe stated, as calmly as she could muster.

"One or two," was the short reply.

Chloe winced as the sight of her fathers body consumed in flames quickly passed her vision, she choked back a sob, "one"

"The man or the girl?"

"Girl"

"How and where"

"Explosion," Chloe rattled off the address to the stranger on the phone and then as an afterthought, "and you'd better hurry before the scene is crawling with people."

"Consider it done" and the line went dead.

Chloe came through the clearing to the highway ahead; she made her way down the road until she reached the bus stop. She muttered thanks as the bus showed up quickly because she knew if she had to sit and wait the shock would start to wear off and her thoughts would be consumed with what was actually happening.

Metropolis Bus Station

Chloe got off the bus and quickly headed to the lockers in the lobby. She pulled the key from around her neck that she had around a dog tag type chain out from under her shirt. She quickly walked to locker 835 and opened it. Grabbing a purse and a bag she shut the door and walked away. She pulled a ski hat out from the purse and quickly put it on her head in an attempt to cover her blond hair. She walked out to the front of the bus station and got into a taxi.

"Where to miss?"

She told the driver the name of a cheap roach motel on the outskirts of the city. After paying the driver she walked into the lobby and checked into a room. Chloe entered her room without bothering to turn the lights on. She tossed the bag and purse on the edge of the bed and walked back to the door. She locked and then rechecked the multiple locks. There was one chair in the room sitting besides the bed and she struggled to drag it behind the door. Chloe then opened the bag and started removing its contents.

Chloe unzipped the bag she retrieved from the bus stations took out a change of clothes which she set down on the edge of the bed. She took the bag with her to the bathroom and set it down on the counter. She took out a box of hair dye and quickly began to apply the product to her blonde tresses.

"Prepare to say goodbye Chloe"

STOP! No thinking right now, if I start thinking I'll never gets through this.

Chloe's eyes started to well up.

NO! It's not time to cry yet!

She tossed all of the hair dye trash into the trash can. She took out the cell phone that she had used.

I said it would never happen. God I believed that. But Lex knew it would. Damnit don't think about it now. Just follow the steps the way he told you.

She opened the battery cover of the phone and removed the small computer chip inside. She smashed this on the counter with the back of a hairbrush she removed from the bag. She carefully placed all the pieces of the chip in the trash can and then tossed in the phone as well.

Chloe removed all of the clothing on her body including her shoes and put them in the trash bag.

She stepped into the shower and turned the water on. It had been enough time. Her blonde hair was sure to be gone. She stepped into the scalding water and began scrubbing at her body.

I'm not clean yet. Chloe, it's just the shock wearing off. Don't let it. You still have things to do. Hurry! You've been here too long already.

She stepped out of the shower and dried off. Then she dressed herself in the clothes on the bed. Using the motel blow dryer on the wall she dried her hair quickly then looked in the mirror. She was taken aback for a moment when she realized that the person looking back at her was not herself.

Her straight blonde locks were now a mass of dark auburn curls. Why'd I straighten my hair everyday again?

She removed a make up kit from the purse and carefully applied makeup to the stranger looking at her in the mirror.

She used the room phone to call a cab. Then Chloe cleaned up all of the trash in the room including the duffel bag and threw it away. Then she wiped down every item in the room that she had touched making sure all traces of Chloe Sullivan were gone. She put the purse on her shoulder and took the trash bag with her. She left the room key on the edge of the bed and walked out of the motel. She walked to the motel dumpster and threw the trash bag away.

The cab arrived and the woman who got into it was not Chloe Sullivan, she was now Lillian Kane. Lillian had dark auburn curls with dark smoky eye shadow and makeup that completely changed the look of her face. She wore a pair of eyeglasses. She had on baggy black cargo pants and a dark grey long sleeve t shirt. The bright and lively Chloe was gone, she was officially dead. No one who ever knew Chloe Sullivan would even see a resemblance of her in Lillian Kane.

"Where to?"

"Edge City"

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tbc